Hanover asked to consider doing revaluation

February 27, 2014

HANOVER - The Hanover Town Board heard a presentation on why it should do a revaluation of property in the town.

Real Property Tax Analyst for the New York State Office of Real Property Tax Services Robert Wright warned the town that after this year, a different process for calculating the equalization rate for the town will be used.

He explained that for the first four years after a revaluation, data is used along with trend data to determine the equalization rate.

Article Photos

OBSERVER Photo by Nicole GuginoPictured (standing) is Real Property Tax Analyst Robert Wright of the New York Office of Real Property Tax Services. Also pictured from left are Hanover Town councilmen Bernard Feldmann Jr. and Kenneth Cross and Supervisor Todd Johnson.

In 2015, that data will no longer be used and instead ORPTS will use 10 randomly selected properties and compare the assessment to an appraisal.

He said this can dramatically decrease the equalization rate, increasing the amount taxpayers pay in school and county taxes.

He said a reval does not generate more revenue - although the tax burden may shift - and does not compensate for past inequities, only future ones. He said a reval, which creates a 100 percent equalization rate, is the most fair and easiest to understand for tax purposes.

"Revals cost money, but in the long run - it won't pay for itself - but it will ease headaches down the road," he said.

He said for 2014 the equalization rate has been calculated at 92.68 percent, down from 98 percent in 2013.

Johnson said the town is still waiting on specifications for the wastewater treatment plant's rotating biological contactors, which need to be replaced as soon as possible.

He said the soonest this can happen is October because of the time it takes to manufacture the RBCs. He said in the meantime, the town plans to fix one RBC in-house in order to take the other broken one offline to be fixed, this way there will hopefully be two RBCs online and one at three-quarters capacity in reserve to get the town through its summer peak season.

Legislator George Bor-rello, chairman of the Lake Erie Management Agency, announced that the organization has set aside $20,000 each for Cattaraugus Creek in Sunset Bay, Dunkirk Harbor and Barcelona Har-bor.

Johnson thanked Assist-ant Disaster Coordinator Jeff Smith and the Sunset Bay Fire Department for their work during the potential flooding event Feb. 21 and 22.

The board appointed Robert Weiskerger as second assistant disaster coordinator.